28.04.2010 Young Belarus activists detained

Young Belarus activists Andrei Kuzminski, Mikhail Naskou and Aliaksei Atroshchanka were detained for staging a protest picket for the extradition of the ousted Kyrgyz president Kurmanbek Bakiyev in Minsk’s central Kastrychnitskaya square, the independent Nasha Niva newspaper reports.

28.04.2010 One more participant of solidarity action fined

Aleh Ladutska, activist of the European Belarus civil campaign, was fined BYR 700,000 for participating in an action of solidarity with the political prisoners Mikalai Autukhovich and Uladzimir Asipenka.

28.04.2010 Yury Chavusau: ‘The final result is one person’s hands’

On the election day, polling station #9 in Minsk’s Kurasoushchynskaya constituency #16 was visited by a number of observers of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the US and Swedish embassies and others. It was due to this fact that the polling station appeared to be one of the few were observers could watch the counting of votes. At the same time, some 70% of local electors voted early.

28.04.2010 EU voices concern over local elections

The European Union is concerned about "several vulnerabilities" in the implementation of electoral regulations in Belarus' April 20-25 local elections, said a statement issued by the Minsk-based British embassy on behalf of the European Union's Spanish presidency, as quoted by BelaPAN.

28.04.2010 Preliminary results of monitoring of the 2010 Local Council Elections

It should be observed that the recent amendments to the EC provided for the commissions’ composition being formed by at least 30% of representatives of political parties and other public associations. The analysis of the formation of election commissions showed that the provision was fully implemented.

27.04.2010 Brest Social-Democrats to appeal election results in five constituencies

A number of the Brest regional leaders of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada, inclusing Ihar Maslouski, head of the BSDP Hramada Brest regional office, his deputy Valiantsin Lazarenkau, Hanna Kanius, the party's city leader, as well as the organization's activists Svitaliana Aliasiuk and Aliaksandr Saldatkin, all ex-candidates for local councils of various levels, are going to lodge complaints against the official election results in the region.

27.04.2010 Council of Europe: We have serious barriers for rapproachmenet with Minsk

The Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Micheline Calmy-Rey has called upon the Belarusian government to redouble efforts in the cause of rapproachment to this organisation.

27.04.2010 Observer thrown into jail for two days and fined

Ales Taustyka, an agent of local council candidate Ales Lahvinets, was fined 175,000 rubles on April 26.

Ales Taustyka, detained in the evening April 24 at a Minsk polling station, was accused of disorderly conduct. “They said I turned down all ballot boxes and, I beg your pardon, urinated in every corner of the ballot station,” the agent said about his accusation.

27.04.2010 Mahiliou pro-dem forces report on election results

Yesterday, on 26 April, the pro-democratic forces of Mahiliou held a press-conference, presenting their results of the election campaign monitoring. According to preliminary figures, only two pro-democratic candidates were elected deputies of Mahiliou regional local councils – Zhanna Shcharbinina and Aliaksei Tsiulkou (both representing the Belarusian Christian Democracy).

26.04.2010 No real elections in Homel region, says local Pro-Dem Coalition

Representatives of the Homel Regional Coalition of the United Pro-Democratic forces report mass rigging of the local election results at a press-conference on 26 April.

26.04.2010 Activists of Russia’s Oborona detained in Minsk

Three activists of the Russian ‘Oborona’ movement were detained by the police outside the Belarusian Popular Front’s central office in downtown Minsk. The activists were forced into a police bus. Their current whereabouts are not known.

26.04.2010 Free Youth activists detained

Two activists of the Free Youth movement Vika Ladzis and Aliaksandr Baradzinchyk were detained by the police in Minsk, ahead of the Chernobyl Shliakh demonstration due later this evening, the Nasha Niva newspaper reports.

26.04.2010 Salihorsk: hidden vote count

Two different approaches to vote counting were shown by the election commission of two various polling stations, located at Salihorsk’s school #5.

26.04.2010 Orsha: candidate not allowed observing vote count

An instance of blatant violation of the Electoral Code was recorded at Orsha’s election commission #6. Aliaksandr Kaminski, BPF member, running for the Orsha Town Council, was not allowed observing the vote counting and forced to leave the premises by the police.

26.04.2010 Taisa Kabanchuk: case closed

Mahiliou Regional Transport Prosecutor’s Office ruled to terminate the criminal prosecution of Taisa Kabanchuk, leader of the Belarusian Christian Democracy Mahiliou regional office.